There really wasn’t much to pack in the first place. Yi Xingran didn’t own many clothes, so he simply stuffed them into the suitcase in a few quick motions and before long, everything was packed away.
Pei Du was leaning against the edge of the desk, looking at his phone. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the clothes that had been carelessly rolled into a messy heap and couldn’t help frowning. He immediately shifted his gaze away, deciding that what he didn’t see didn’t exist.
Manager Qian’s car was restricted by the license plate rules today, so he had asked the extremely gentlemanly Pei Du to give him a ride over to LCK. Sun Sheng was a difficult person to deal with and Manager Qian wasn’t comfortable leaving everything to the legal department. He insisted on keeping an eye on the matter himself.
It happened to be on the way, so Yi Xingran was brought along as well.
There was a little too much stuff and the suitcase wouldn’t quite close. Yi Xingran thought about it for a moment before climbing onto it with a cold expression and pressing down hard on the lid, sometimes brute force really did work miracles!
Pei Du once again shifted his gaze away.
The person sitting on top of the suitcase finally managed to fasten the lock. Yi Xingran let out a long breath of relief. Then, remembering something else, he stood up and walked past Pei Du. He made a fist and lightly bumped it against Pei Du’s shoulder.
“Thanks, buddy. Wait for me a little longer, will you? I forgot to take my peripherals.”
Pei Du didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Mm.”
Yi Xingran unconsciously clenched his teeth. He felt that he had gone too easy when he bumped Pei Du’s shoulder just now. If he had known, he should have taken the opportunity to punch the man.
But he had hitched a ride in the man’s car. There was no need to beat him half to death right now.
As he walked downstairs, Yi Xingran couldn’t help grabbing a handful of his hair. He wondered to himself just what was wrong with this person. Why was he so damn punchable?
He hadn’t even reached the entrance to the training room when he caught sight of a figure in the distance.
It was currently the off season and since LCK didn’t have to prepare for MSI, most of the players weren’t at the base. Yi Xingran hadn’t expected to run into anyone at all.
The man was wearing a light beige coat and the gold rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose gave him an air of scholarly refinement yet at that moment, he stood there with a dark expression, saying nothing.
It was the captain of the LCK team, Sheng Xufeng.
Just the day before, he had still been vacationing on an island chain on the other side of Blue Star. After hearing the news, he had taken three connecting flights overnight but he was still one step too late. The moment he landed, he learned that Yi Xingran had already successfully terminated his contract and transferred to another team.
Yi Xingran had no intention of paying him any attention. This man usually looked gentle and refined but in reality, he was the young heir of the team, the only son of the Sheng family, LCK’s largest financial backer. In his previous life, he had participated in no small number of the filthy schemes carried out by the higher ups.
Fixing matches, manipulating the market…… he had his fingers in every kind of dirty business. In the end, he had made an enormous fortune while managing to keep himself completely clean of it all.
Sheng Xufeng called out to him but Yi Xingran pretended he hadn’t heard. When he passed the man with a cold expression, he even deliberately put a little extra force into his shoulder.
Sheng Xufeng was knocked half a step to the side. Yi Xingran kept both hands tucked into his pockets and sauntered leisurely into the training room.
The warm smile that had originally rested on Sheng Xufeng’s face turned cold and sinister for a moment. He stared at Yi Xingran’s retreating back, a streak of white light reflecting across his lenses.
Yi Xingran unplugged his peripherals and lowered his head as he wound the cables around the power cord. Footsteps sounded from the doorway. Before long, they stopped directly behind him.
“Xingran, let’s talk.”
Yi Xingran didn’t even raise his head.
“No. It’s a waste of time.”
Sheng Xufeng hadn’t expected Yi Xingran’s attitude to become so cold after only a few days apart. He pressed a hand against his brow, then softened his tone again as he spoke. “Is this because you’re unhappy with the team’s arrangements? If you have a problem, why won’t you tell me?
Yi Xingran let out a mocking laugh. “Do I even have any reason to tell you?”
“How do you not? I’m your captain. You can tell me anything that happens on the team and I’ll take care of whatever I can.”
Yi Xingran finished winding up his keyboard and turned around. He lifted his eyes, his gaze filled with undisguised disdain. “Oh? Then now that you’re my ‘former’ captain, what exactly are you capable of managing?”
He deliberately emphasized the word “former,” as though it had struck a particularly sensitive spot. The gaze beneath Sheng Xufeng’s lenses turned cold and sinister, though the reflection on the glass made it impossible to see his eyes clearly.
Sheng Xufeng tugged at the corner of his lips, doing his best to maintain a gentle smile. “I can manage anything. If you don’t want to be moved to the substitute lineup, you could have discussed it with me. I have the final say in everything on this team. Didn’t you know that?”
Yi Xingran recalled his previous life. When he had first been removed from the starting lineup, Sheng Xufeng seemed to have come looking for him then as well but at the time, Yi Xingran had been so furious that he had worn a hostile expression toward everyone. What had Sheng Xufeng said to him back then?
“Just swallow your pride and apologize to me. Maybe then I’ll be able to get you back into the starting lineup.”
Sheng Xufeng back then hadn’t been nearly as arrogant as he was now. He hadn’t opened his mouth and immediately declared, “I have the final say.” Nor had he blocked Yi Xingran in front of his seat like this, refusing to let him leave and pestering him for such a long time, insisting that he give him an explanation.
“You’re really something else. What exactly do you want me to explain? Am I your fucking father?”
Sheng Xufeng’s expression turned ugly. Yi Xingran shoved him aside and was about to walk out but he hadn’t even taken two steps before Sheng Xufeng grabbed him by the arm and stopped him. The sudden movement caused Yi Xingran to stumble backward and he fell heavily into the gaming chair.
The force of his fall sent the gaming chair sliding backward a short distance. Sheng Xufeng took advantage of the momentum, blocking Yi Xingran and the chair against the desk. With one hand gripping the armrest, he leaned down over him, his tall figure pressing down from above.
Yi Xingran frowned and looked up, meeting a pair of eyes so dark and gloomy that the warning bells in his head immediately began ringing. His fists clenched tightly.
He had grown up as the neighborhood bully, the kind of kid who could fight his way from one end of an alley to the other with nothing but his fists. He had been hardened by countless fights since childhood and when it came to sensing danger, his instincts were exceptionally sharp.
If Sheng Xufeng hadn’t still been forcing himself to hold back, his tone almost pitiful as he spoke, “Xingran, you tell me yourself. How have I treated you these past six months?”
Sheng Xufeng stared at him without blinking. “I was the one who gave the nod and let you join LCK. After you joined the team, I took care of you in every possible way. You can treat other people like this if you want but why are you giving me that cold attitude?”
Yi Xingran’s clenched fist loosened halfway. Irritated, he grabbed a handful of his hair. “I’ll say it again. I have nothing to discuss with you. Move!”
He had just gotten to his feet and hadn’t even managed to steady himself when the back of his knee caught against the gaming chair. The next moment, he was shoved hard. His center of gravity gave way and he fell backward again, his entire body pinned against the back of the chair as Sheng Xufeng gripped him by the shoulders.
“You fucking- ”
Yi Xingran instinctively grabbed the keyboard and peripherals, intending to swing them straight at the man’s head but he hesitated for a moment when he remembered how expensive they were.
In that brief moment of hesitation, Sheng Xufeng took the opportunity to lean over him. His expression had become even darker and more oppressive than before. “I’ll ask you one last time! Are you absolutely determined to leave?”
The words came through gritted teeth, filled with barely restrained fury. Yi Xingran lifted his foot and kicked toward him, the anger he had been desperately holding back having already been thoroughly provoked.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Whether I leave or not is none of your damn business! You think you can control everything, even what your grandpa does? Even the Jade Emperor himself couldn’t stop me, so who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Yi Xingran! Don’t push your luck!”
“I don’t mind slapping that face of yours crooked if you’re going to throw away the respect I’m giving you! Try calling me by my full name one more fucking time!”
Sheng Xufeng covered his lower abdomen where he had been kicked, his brows drawn tightly together as he pressed his tongue against his back teeth. He knew Yi Xingran’s temperament well enough.
The kid was stubborn to the point of being difficult, hard headed and impossible to deal with. His thinking was straightforward and he still held onto those ridiculous ideals and dreams about esports.
If Sheng Xufeng wanted to drag him into the mess and get him to cooperate with the performance, a little force would probably be necessary.
So when the management proposed replacing him, Sheng Xufeng had agreed without much hesitation. They could take Yi Xingran out of the starting lineup and put someone more obedient in his place, maximizing their interests while taking the opportunity to grind down Yi Xingran’s temper.
No one was willing to sit on the bench forever. Which rookie who had just come out of the youth academy didn’t think the world belonged to him? Once they understood what it meant for their fate to be as fragile as paper, even those who had once been the proudest would become the ones with the cruelest hands after they stepped into the mire.
That was why Sheng Xufeng wasn’t in any hurry. He had seen plenty of little brats like Yi Xingran before. It wouldn’t take long before they obediently listened and lowered their heads.
He had never even considered completely grinding that arrogance out of him. A little of it had to remain. When someone who was naturally made of hard bone was caught struggling between worldly desire and their own principles, when their body kept sinking downward while their soul could never quite rise completely above it, that was when they became the most delicious.
Their entire being would take on a decadent, alluring beauty, so intoxicating that even a supposedly pure soul would become sweet.
Those bright eyes would be filled with unwillingness yet they would still have to be stained with a moist, lustful sheen, crushed down, broken apart, their very marrow sucked dry. They would remain painfully conscious as they sank into it, with nowhere to escape and no way to pull themselves free.
Money, power, fame, profit, Sheng Xufeng thought he possessed all of them and he could afford to give Yi Xingran every single one.
As long as Yi Xingran was willing to open his mouth and bow his head just once, Sheng Xufeng wouldn’t mind putting pressure on the entire management team and forcing them to keep him nailed firmly to the starting position.
As for how much loss that decision might cause, they were nothing more than a few numbers on a ledger. He didn’t care.
Because next, he would continue to gnaw away at this person’s nerves. Once his boundaries were lowered, there would be no end to it. Little by little, Yi Xingran would come to need him, depend on him and in the end, belong only to him, crying unwillingly as he let Sheng Xufeng toy with him.
Straight? Then wasn’t that just another word for inexperienced? Once he broke him in, he would learn what pleasure was. If he couldn’t accept it, Sheng Xufeng could simply do it to him a few more times. Maybe he would even become insatiable and never get enough.
What he hadn’t expected was that his plan had barely gotten started when the person at its center overturned the entire table and refused to play along anymore.
Termination of the contract, a transfer… The moment Sheng Xufeng thought about how Yi Xingran would completely slip beyond his control from then on, an inexplicable restlessness immediately welled up inside him.
“Stop! Did I say you could leave?”
The open door was slammed shut with tremendous force and Yi Xingran was pinned against it by the sudden impact. His legs were forced together, while the hand holding his peripherals bag was pinned off to one side.
It was an ambush from behind. With his back pressed tightly against the door, there was no room to maneuver or fight back. Yi Xingran even knocked his forehead against the door with a loud, crisp thunk, the kind of sound that made it obvious he had one hell of a solid head.
Fuck! This guy was like a damn semi truck!
Seriously, what the hell was wrong with this dude?
Yi Xingran felt as though the back of his neck, the very handle of his fate, had been seized. His entire body was flattened against the edge of the door, while the man behind him spoke so close to his ear that his voice practically brushed the tip of it.
“You know exactly what kind of person Pei Du is. He’s calculating, loves showing off, has a complicated mind and is convinced he’s always right! Even if you’ve decided to leave, why the hell did you have to choose The X?”
Yi Xingran’s entire body broke out in goosebumps. This guy actually dared to breathe against his ear?!
“They want to buy you yet they aren’t even willing to pay a single cent in transfer fees! Do you really think you’ll get anything good out of going to him? Be careful. They might sell you off and you’ll still be counting the money for them!”
“Fuck! Get off me first if you want to talk!”
Yi Xingran pushed himself upright, only to be forcefully shoved back down again. His wrist was seized and pinned against the door and it seemed as though even the slightest strand of his hair could feel Sheng Xufeng’s presence.
Oh, this was truly a terrible position to be in.
When it came to fighting, the last thing you wanted was to be restrained like this. Whether you were being pinned against a wall or forced down onto the floor, the person underneath could easily find themselves unable to exert their full strength, leaving them with no choice but to take hit after hit. This was especially true when there was a significant difference in strength between the two sides.
Yet Yi Xingran wasn’t particularly worried.
He had already been capable of beating up middle schoolers when he was only in the fourth grade of elementary school. Ever since he was little, the people he had ended up fighting were almost always taller and stronger than him.
After being pinned down countless times, he had accumulated plenty of experience and had long since developed his own way of getting out of situations like this.
He bent his knee, keeping it close to the door as he let his body slide downward with the momentum. His body was flexible and once he had slipped down halfway, he could strike backward with his elbow. Taking advantage of the instant his opponent recoiled in pain, he could twist himself around and break free.
One of Sheng Xufeng’s legs was still caught between his own. Yi Xingran practically had to rub himself against the man’s body to barely squeeze free.
The instant he turned around, he swung the peripherals bag up and knocked the man’s face sharply to one side. Bracing his back against the door and using it for leverage, he thrust his waist forward with all his strength and kicked Sheng Xufeng directly in the chest, sending him stumbling several steps backward.
“If you want to die, just say so! Try making another move and I’ll smash your fucking head in!”
That had some bite to it.
Sheng Xufeng couldn’t help wondering what someone who was this arrogant and domineering when cursing at people would be like once he was in bed.
Sheng Xufeng didn’t move for the moment. Yi Xingran’s jacket had been pulled open, one side almost completely slipping down to his wrist, while the collar had been yanked loose and hung crookedly around his neck.
Some people really did need to be beaten up once before they would behave.
Yi Xingran glared fiercely at Sheng Xufeng before bending down to pick up the peripherals bag lying on the floor.
Sheng Xufeng stared fixedly at him, his eyes bloodshot. After a brief pause, he began walking toward him one step at a time.
As though sensing the danger that was about to approach, Yi Xingran raised his eyes. His movements stopped.
At some point, Sheng Xufeng had already walked right up in front of him. His gaze was fixed directly on Yi Xingran and with his head tilted slightly to one side, he ran his tongue over his own split, bleeding lip.
The person standing before him was disheveled, his collar completely open and his straight collarbones exposed. His loose jacket hung precariously from his body, pulling at the shirt underneath and revealing a large expanse of pale skin across his chest.
“What the fuck are you looking at?”
By the time Yi Xingran realized what was happening, his eyes had already gone wide. He was so furious that he nearly laughed. He stepped forward, reached out and roughly yanked Sheng Xufeng’s collar aside, wishing he could punch the man’s head straight down into his stomach.
“Like what you see, you fucking pervert?!”
Beneath the gray sweatpants, the unmistakable bulge could no longer be concealed. It was swollen prominently beneath the fabric, as though something were about to burst free from the earth, impatiently announcing its presence to him.
Yi Xingran was so furious that he practically wanted to cripple the offending thing on the spot but at that very moment, the training room door was pushed open.
Pei Du stood there without much expression on his face, one hand resting beside the suitcase Yi Xingran had just finished packing.
The air froze for two seconds.
Yi Xingran’s hand was still gripping the other man by the collar, their bodies pressed closely together.
Pei Du lifted his eyes, his tone utterly indifferent.
“Being a pervert in the training room isn’t exactly a good idea. Bullying one of my players like this, are you hoping my team’s legal department will send you in for a cup of tea as well, Captain Sheng?”
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
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← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Fire the hole!Chapter 2 · Dude, I’m here to save youChapter 3 · Plaster HeadChapter 4 · I’m well behaved, I don’t talk muchChapter 5 · It’s what Cross needsChapter 6 · What are you barking like a dog?Chapter 7 · “Ah! It’s so… so damn cold~”Chapter 8 · What are you looking at, you pervert!Chapter 9 · The cat I bought for free got dirty.Chapter 10 · Oh no! I forgot to switch to a smaller account!Chapter 11 · It’s my turn to performChapter 12 · Insults? That’s slander! This is slander!Chapter 13 · He’s a very nice personChapter 14 · Hunting TimeChapter 15 · A straight man sells himselfChapter 16 · The number one person who doesn’t eat stressChapter 17 · He is so vividChapter 18 · War! War! War! Kill! Kill!Chapter 19 Part 1 · What’s wrong with guys rubbing against each other?Chapter 19 Part 2 · What’s wrong with guys rubbing against each other?